Sunday, September 24, 2006

The Twelve Days of Christmas?

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS?

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me.Have you ever wondered about THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS? What in the world do Leaping Lords, French Hens, Swimming Swans, andespecially the Partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to dowith Christmas?Today, I found out.From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members oftheir church. Each element in the carol has a codeword for a religious reality, which the children could remember...The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.Two turtledoves were the Old and New Testaments.Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke &John.The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books ofthe Old Testament.The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of theHoly Spirit: Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution,Leadership, and Mercy.The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy,Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and SelfControl.The ten Lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.Interesting, n'est-ce pas?